West Newsmagazine 11-27-19

24 I SPORTS I
November 27, 2019
WEST NEWSMAGAZINE
@WESTNEWSMAG
WESTNEWSMAGAZINE.COM
MICDS Rams charge to the top at
state field hockey tournament
The MICDS Rams claimed the state title at the Midwest Field Hockey Tournament Nov. 2. They
faced Villa Duchesne to claim the title.
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By WARREN MAYES
To get back on top of the state field
hockey mountain, MICDS coach Lynn
Mittler knew what her Rams had to do.
That was to put it all together for one game
that mattered – the Midwest Field Hockey
Tournament championship contest.
The Rams did just that. MICDS met Villa
Duchesne for the third consecutive year
at the tournament. MICDS won 1-0 and
claimed the 41st Midwest Field Hockey
Tournament championship Saturday, Nov.
2 at the SportPort Athletic Complex in
Maryland Heights.
“I am excited for our team that when
they needed to, they were able to play their
best game,” Mittler said. “I am absolutely
elated for the girls.”
MICDS wound up with a 17-3-1 record.
The 2019 title is the sixth championship
and first since completing a three-peat in
2015 for the Rams. The other state titles for
MICDS came in 1979, 2009, 2013, 2014
and 2015.
The Rams had several highlights during
the regular season.
“We were very proud of our victory
over Assumption from Louisville, and we
had moments of playing really well and
enjoying our new field,” Mittler said. “But
mostly, it was people being flexible, playing
in different positions and supporting
each other.”
According to Mittler, MICDS was eager
to play in the Midwest Tournament.
“We were ready and thrilled to have all of
our players back and ready to go,” Mittler
said.
The Rams opened with an 8-0 win over
Ursuline and then scored a 4-0 win over
Summit. MICDS then met Nerinx Hall in
the semifinal and won 6-1. That was the
same score the Rams won by over Nerinx
Hall in the regular season.
“That may have been our best game of
the tournament,” Mittler said. “The team
remembered playing really well last year
against Cor Jesu in the semifinal. The part
they remember best is having fun, so they
really tried to keep things light and just
enjoy being together and competing.”
The victory set up a rematch with Villa
Duchesne, who defeated John Burroughs
5-0 in its semifinal.
After losing to Villa Duchesne in 2017
and 2018 in the big game and 4-1 in regular
season, Mittler said there was no need to
have a big pep talk before the game.
“They knew that I believed they could do
it,” Mittler said. “We talked about how this
was their time and that they were ready.”
The two teams battled to a scoreless first
half. With four minutes, 33 seconds to play,
MICDS got a goal from senior Caroline
Carr.
Kate Oliver received a pass from Greta
Wolfsberger on the left side of the field.
Oliver carried up the sideline and got forced
out by a defender. Oliver took her own
restart. She got a shot off and sophomore
goalkeeper Claire Douglass made the save.
“Kate gets her own rebound, shoots
again, the ball bounces in the air and Caroline
bats the ball in,” Mittler said.
Villa Duschesne did not go quietly,
though.
“They had two corners to end the game,”
Mittler said. “We were all holding our
breath, but the girls were confident and
played excellent defense.”
When the game ended, the celebration
began.
“For the seniors, this had been a long
time coming with so much heartbreak
along the way,” Mittler said. “When they
arrived as freshmen, we were just off a
three-peat and I think they felt some pressure.
I think it was true elation to cement
their own legacy.”
Six of the seven graduating seniors will
go on to play field hockey in college.
“I am excited about our future,” Mittler
said. “We have some tremendous competitors
on our team who are eager to try to do
this again.”